


you and i

by tapeu



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Attempt at Humor, Eventual Relationships, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-09
Updated: 2017-02-23
Packaged: 2018-09-23 02:08:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,071
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9636188
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tapeu/pseuds/tapeu
Summary: One day Taeyong was up to find a smelly sock on his forehead, and he spent thirty minutes scrubbing his face until he came to work with a bandage plastered to his forehead. Just yesterday, he found box of chicken rice inside Yuta's abandoned backpack, and Taeyong doesn't want to explain how it looked like. His roommate smiles a lot (and is Taeyong's type), but Taeyong would really appreciate it if he starts to clean up his own mess.





	1. First

Deep breaths, Taeyong, deep breaths.

That's the word he keeps repeating inside his mind as he observes his new roommate trying to _organize_ his room. Nakamoto Yuta arrived earlier this day, and Taeyong felt attacked when he introduced himself in such bubbly manner. He was glad, though, at least this person looked like he could take care of himself, judging from the fresh clothes he wore. Taeyong doesn't know what to do with himself if he gets a new roommate with snot all over his nose and clothes that are wrinkled and washed away.

But it seems like he set his judgment too quick because Yuta is now laughing at God knows what as he reads his comic book, a little bit less from a dozen cardboards forgotten.

His new roommate is cute, but he's messy.

Taeyong ends up organizing Yuta's things, putting his clothes on the largest wardrobe and setting up the photo frames on the table in front of the TV, only leaving personal things like his underwears and liquids for Yuta to set.

He washes his hands hurriedly because the photo frames looked really dusty with thousands of germs living on it for God knows when and Taeyong is not kind enough to wipe those too.

He escapes to the dancing class he's teaching, ignoring Yuta's shout of _thanks_.

 

 

  
\---

 

 

 

"This is the worse, Taeil hyung; I can't take it anymore!" Taeyong whines in his seat and gives his best pouty face to Taeil who doesn't even blink. Taeyong is a bit offended.

" _There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so_ ," Taeil quotes before going back to read his book which reads The Major Political Writings of Jean-Jacques Rousseau. Taeyong grimaces before rolling his eyes, Taeil's interest in philosophy and politics is creeping him out; he doesn't want his friend to be the next Nietzche. But Taeil keeps giving him this scrutinizing and condescending looks every time Taeyong recommends to drop it.

Sicheng gives him the same judging look as Taeil's when Taeyong complains to him and even with his limited Korean abilities, he still manages to say, "Man up," right into Taeyong's face without changing his expression and high fives Taeil when the older offers his hand, face not looking up from his book. Taeil and Sicheng have been hanging around each other too much that they pick out each other's habits. Sometimes Taeyong wonders whether they're plotting to kill Taeyong for being an imbecile and only caring about mortal life.

Sicheng is only twenty-one. He's a lot younger than Taeyong. And Taeyong is not going to disclose his age, not now, not ever.

It's been two weeks since Yuta moved into their medium-sized apartment, and it was hell. One day Taeyong was up to find a smelly sock on his forehead, and he spent thirty minutes scrubbing his face until he came to work with a bandage plastered to his forehead. Just yesterday, he found a box of chicken rice inside Yuta's abandoned backpack, and Taeyong doesn't want to explain how it looked like. Just think of it as when you're making a porridge and accidentally spilled green and yellow dyes on it. The worst part, whenever he wants to scold Yuta, the latter is at work or asleep.

So Taeyong has no choice but to clean up his mess. Every. Single. Time.

Not in the mood to indulge on Taeil and Sicheng's silence as they read, Taeyong grabs his gray coat and excuses himself to buy some coffee.

It's freezing outside, but Taeyong loves it. The wind makes him feel like it's getting rid of the germs on his body, in summer Taeyong needs to shower at least four times a day. The water bill a few months back was not pretty.

Taeyong checks his watch, and he gets fifteen minutes before his class starts. The sound of bells greets him when he opens the door, and his jaw drops when he sees the person on the counter.

"Oh, Taeyong! Fancy seeing you here!"

It's the source of his stress. Nakamoto _fucking_ Yuta.

"What can I make for you?" Yuta asks cheerfully (and informally), and Taeyong wonders whether he greets all of his customers like that because it's too personal. Taeyong himself doesn't speak to Yuta unless the latter starts first. He doesn't feel bad because the evil side inside of him always says Yuta deserves it since he's always an untidy jerk.

"Just an iced Americano, please, and no sugar," Taeyong answers, still trying to be polite and formal.

"Oh, but it's so chilly today!" Yuta widens his eyes and as if Taeyong doesn't know that.

He forces out a smile that he bets look more like a grimace, "Yes, but I still prefer it cold," he says bitingly, hoping that Yuta would take the hint.

Yuta is still giving him an unassured look, but he shrugs and types his order on the screen. "Okay, your order will be up in just a minute!" Yuta salutes him with a wink.

"W-Wait! I haven't paid yet!" Taeyong grabs the edge of Yuta's sleeve in panic before the latter could run to make his coffee.

"Don't worry; it's on me! I owed you for taking care of my things when I moved in, anyway," Yuta gives him a huge grin before gently making Taeyong let go of him and bounces away with a whistle.

Taeyong just gapes at the weirdo in front of him. This guy is too blindingly bright for Taeyong's gloomy self, and he doesn't know whether to be happy or sad.

Looking around, there are only a few customers sitting inside the small and homey café, all of them coat-less courtesy of the amazing heater inside. Thinking that he doesn't do his legs any harm to sit, Taeyong chooses a table in the furthest corner of the room with a sofa.

Taeyong closes his eyes at the feel of the fluffy cushion under his body, and almost squeals in delight when the sofa heats up by itself. That is, like, the best invention in 2017, period. Or maybe Taeyong is too old to care about technology advancements, who knows.

He's almost dozing off in his soft, personal warmth bubble when he feels something cold being pressed against his forehead. Taeyong flails his hands everywhere and jumps off his seat ungracefully in shock.

He opens his eyes to see Yuta giggling with mirth dancing around his eyes, and Taeyong would've thought that he looks cute if he's not so pissed.

"That's totally uncalled for," Taeyong grumbles and stands up to brush off the imaginary dust on his pants. He grabs his coffee from Yuta's offered hand, ignoring the latter's amusement.

"Thanks for the treat, by the way. I could've afforded it myself, but I still appreciate it," Taeyong is a momma's boy, and so he remembers to smile at people even though said people are sometimes asking for a hard punch to the face.

Yuta seems to sense the edge in his voice because his smile falters a bit when he replies a small you're welcome. Taeyong blames his sensitive heart for feeling a little bad about it. He gets annoyed every time Yuta gets too happy around him and feels bad when the other's sad. Taeyong wants to pull out his own hair for being so indecisive.

They're standing in front of each other in awkward silence now, and Taeyong pretends he's checking his watch even though he knows exactly what time it is thanks to his tendency to obsess about unnecessary things.

"Well, would you look at the time? I should really get going now, busy day, busy day," Taeyong admits his laugh is awkward as ever, and Yuta's eyes dim for a while before he's flashing his signature bright smile, showing his perfect rows of teeth.

"Okay! See you later, Taeyong!" He waves at him before walking back to the cash register to take care of some children who are asking for more sugar.

Taeyong's about to open the door, but someone beats him to it, slams into him and almost sends his precious Americano flying over to an old granny's balding head if not for the steady grip of his hands. Plus he works out, so he's not weak. The man just mutters a small _sorry_ , and he's wearing damn sunglasses even though the sky is looking like it's going to cry judging from how dark it is. Taeyong dislikes this kind of people. He also dislikes the fact that Taeil's poetic way of speaking is rubbing off on him.

Momma's lectures all forgotten, Taeyong flips the bird to the back of the man's head (Taeyong notices he's blond, but his hair is almost all covered with the snapback he's wearing) and runs away before the stranger finds out.

Now he just needs to consume his much-needed caffeine to survive the day because he still needs to deal with seven children who are also out to ruin his life.

 

 

 

\---

 

 

 

After giving small packs of sugar to the toothless, adorable toddlers in front of him (and almost reprimanding them not to eat too much sugar), Yuta cracks his neck to the side and stretches out his arms. It's still winter, and the chill is not good for Yuta's bones.

Speaking of cold, Yuta can't believe that there's a person who drinks a cold beverage in winter. Yuta sighs to himself when he remembers how it was awfully obvious that Taeyong was annoyed at him, despite the latter's efforts to hide it.

Yuta doesn't know what he has done wrong. Okay, he knows Taeyong is a clean freak starting from day one and Yuta is anything but it, but he thought they would reach a mutual understanding where neither dislikes the other. Yuta's not hoping Taeyong will open up to him early; heck Yuta doesn't even know how old he is, but he wishes that Taeyong could be more civil towards him.

Lost in his thoughts, Yuta almost shouts in horror when he feels a pair of cold hands sneaking their way inside his pullover. Yuta smiles to himself.

"Hey, what the heck! Don't sneak up on a girl like that!" Yuta jokes but obliges when Jaehyun leans down to peck him on his lips.

"Oh? So you finally admit you're the girl?" The taller man teases, hands not leaving Yuta's waist under his clothes.

"You'll never let this go, aren't you?" Yuta wraps his thin arms around Jaehyun's neck to make him lean down a bit more; it hurts his neck to look up like that.

"Never ever ever _ever_ ," Jaehyun replies childishly, lips descending again to kiss Yuta, but he laughs and pushes Jaehyun's puckering lips away.

"Not now, Jaehyunnie, I'm still working, remember? PG-13 and all that," Yuta opts to give him a small peck on his dimpled cheeks, ignoring the deathly pout.

Jaehyun's still not showing any signs of letting him go anytime soon, so Yuta gives up.

"Doyoung-ah! Can you be a dear and take care of the cashier for me, please?" Yuta calls out, and Doyoung's head pops out of the kitchen.

He's about to protest, but he sees his friend wrapped around a weird man wearing sunglasses and a cap, so he nods his head. Also, that man is giving him a sinister smile that freaks out Doyoung a little.

"Oh and please make two hot lattes for me, one with extra sugar and one plain, thanks again!" Yuta says again as he holds out his hands to make it easier for Jaehyun to remove his apron. Yuta grabs his large hand in his and leads him away to sit on Taeyong's former space.

"So! What's with the surprise visit?" Yuta intertwines his fingers together and rests his head on it. Jaehyun takes off his sunglasses but not his snapback as he answers Yuta's question with the same manner, "If I say that I missed you a lot and came here for a cuddle, would you believe me?"

Yuta gives him a radiant smile before answering, "No."

Jaehyun laughs, his eyes crinkling at the corners and Yuta smiles a little.

"I thought so," Jaehyun grins lazily at Doyoung as he serves their coffee, "I had a job nearby, so I figured why not visit a cutie instead of sitting there in the makeup room like some dumbass," Jaehyun blows at his drink before sipping it.

Yuta hums in reply and rolls his eyes when he feels one of Jaehyun's legs wrapping around his in a terribly inappropriate manner in a workplace.

"Stop it, I said keep it PG," Yuta reprimands him, and Jaehyun pouts again.

"You said it was PG-13!"

Yuta gives him a glare, "Yeah now it's PG, and it's my store, so I make the rules."

Jaehyun holds up his hands in surrender, immediately letting go of Yuta's legs. "Okay, okay. What got your panties in a twist, babe? You're terribly grumpy today."

Yuta sighs again as he remembers Taeyong's face.

"No, nothing," he intends to avoid Jaehyun's eyes by sipping his latte, but he forgets the most important part: it's hot. Yuta splutters his drink and fans his tongue when it's out.

Jaehyun laughs again at his antics, "You're sometimes too cute for my poor heart to handle," he says as he hands Yuta a tissue to wipe his mouth.

"Wow, didn't realize you have a heart," Yuta gives him another one of his sweet smiles before taking the tissue from Jaehyun's hands. But Jaehyun doesn't seem to want to let it go, making Yuta look up at him with confusion.

"What-" he's cut off by a hard kiss on the mouth, Jaehyun's large hand situated on the back of his head, making him stay in place. After a few moments of tongue wrestling that's certainly not PG, even PG-13, Jaehyun pulls off, but not before licking the side of his lips.

Yuta blushes, not because Jaehyun swept him off his feet, but because he's embarrassed that people had to see that.

" _You_ \- How many times do I have to tell you not to that," Yuta shrieks as he wipes the saliva off of his lips with the tissue that's lying forgotten on the table.

"I don't see how it's such a big problem. You own this place; nobody is ever going to complain. If they do, you can just tell them to get the fuck out of your café," Jaehyun says easily, and Yuta rolls his eyes. They're not having this conversation again, so he opts to ignore his boyfriend, but Jaehyun's not finished talking.

"My offer still stands, you know. I don't get why you need to work when I gain enough for both you and I plus my dogs," Jaehyun looks at him thoughtfully, "I don't get why you refuse to move in with me," he adds.

Yuta sighs, it seems that he needs to knock some sense into Jaehyun's head yet again.

"I told you many times before this, and you never seem to get it. For the millionth times, I don't want to be a trophy you show off, and I'm certainly not a sugar baby you can spend your money on. I'm happy to run my own café and take care of the children," Yuta says sternly, eyes not leaving Jaehyun's as he speaks.

Jaehyun's eyes darken at his words, and he leans over the table to whisper in Yuta's ear, "You know I'm willing to spend all of my fortunes on you, but I love it when you get serious like that, baby. Makes me hot all over," he bites Yuta's earlobe before flashing him a beam while standing up and grabbing his coat, hand reaching out to grab the huge-ass sunglasses Yuta can't even dream of purchasing.

Yuta's holding onto his ears while glaring at Jaehyun playfully when the taller pulls him up to kiss him on the forehead.

"Break time's over; I need to go back to the damn photoshoot and pretend I'm _not_ gay. Sucks. I'll call you later, okay?" Jaehyun peppers his face with kisses and slaps his ass before walking off towards the door like he's on some runway.

Yuta massages his temples and wipes his face off the lip gloss that Jaehyun has been using for his makeup, and goes back to the cash register. He pauses in his tracks when he senses Doyoung's curious look.

"If you want to say something, spit it out."

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but your boyfriend is a really famous person, isn't he?" Doyoung says unsurely with his wide eyes. Yuta grabs the apron offered by his friend and employee before nodding his head.

"Shit, and you never told me! I'm so hurt!" Doyoung puts his hand over his heart dramatically, and it looks so stiff with a splash of Doyoung-ness that Yuta can't suppress his laughter.

"I've always wanted to tell you, but you're always balls deep in Ten's ass to pay attention to me," Yuta whispers the last part as he winks greasily at Doyoung's offended expression.

Doyoung slaps him on the back of his head.

"Hey, I'll fire you if you continue to use violence on your boss!"

Doyoung just scoffs at his answer.

"Ha, as if you can live without me."

 

 

 

 


	2. Second

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things get a little serious.

"Jaeminnie, can you please give the block back to poor Chenle? Look at him, he's crying rivers right now," Yuta begs the pouting boy in front of him while holding a bawling Chenle in his arms, trying to calm him down.

It's Monday, and Yuta has an early shift in the cafe. It doesn't help that he had a One Piece marathon last night. He could really use a nice cup of coffee and tearless kids now.

"But Yuta, he's been playing with it for five minutes now," Jaemin whines while holding out three of his fingers, "Yuta says that not sharing things is a big no-no!" the boy wriggles his index finger in front of him, apparently not letting the block go without a fight.

"Yes, you're right, kiddo, but I also said that forcefully taking other's belonging is a big no-no too, right?" Yuta kneels down to the kid's level, groaning a bit when his bones cracked in protest when he did.

Yuta smiles a bit when Jaemin looks conflicted at his statement. "Come on now, hug each other and say sorry, and then you can play with each other again, okay?" He encourages while gently patting Chenle's back to get him to let go of his shirt. The boy was reluctant at first, but he slowly turns into Jaemin, his face red and wet with tears.

"I'm sorry Chenle," Jaemin says shortly while holding out his chubby hands.

Chenle looks at Yuta for approval and gladly hugs Jaemin after his caretaker gave him an encouraging nod. "I'm sowwy too Jaeminnie; I pwomise I'll share next time!" Yuta wants to squeal hearing Chenle's broken language combined with the natural childish way of his speech pattern. He's still five years old, anyway.

Jaemin looks a little bit pained because he doesn't like to be touched by anybody except for his precious Yuta and his mama, but Yuta continues to give him a stern look until said boy hugs back.

Yuta claps his hands together; nothing can make him happier than his kids behaving and reconciling with each other like this. "Great! Since you two behaved nicely, I'm going to give you treats! How does it sound?" Yuta whispers while holding both of their small hands in his and leading them to his secret stash of candies and chocolates. It's an unwritten rule not to give sweets to the kids since they'll get cavities, but once in a while is okay, right? 

Chenle squeals in delight and Yuta playfully tickles him a bit before putting his index finger to his mouth. The boy mimics him, but he still can't contain his giggle. Seriously, this boy is going to kill him one day with his adorableness.

Mrs. Kim, the owner of the daycare center, used to be his neighbor before he moved out. At first, she requested him to help around since they were short of employees, which he gladly said yes. He thought the kids a little bit of Japanese. The children are so lovable that it hurt when he needed to say goodbye to them that day. And so Yuta begged Mrs. Kim to work there. Even though Yuta doesn't see them as often as the other caretakers because he can't work full time since he needs to take care of the cafe, the children love him as he loves them.

They make Yuta tired and old, of course, but if looking at their faces alone is makes him happy like this, Yuta doesn't mind getting wrinkles.

"Yuta!" Well, he did get them to call him sensei except for one particular troublemaker.

"Lee Donghyuck, how many times do I have to tell you that you can't call me by my name?" Yuta crosses his arms and eyes the boy sternly to show some authority, but the young boy acts like he didn't hear what he said.

"Ugh, I'm so tired," the six-year-old puts his small backpack on the floor before using it as a pillow. Donghyuck is supposed to be not in the daycare anymore since his mom quitted her job so she can spend more time with her son. But the boy threw a tantrum so big when he found out that he can't play with Yuta and his minions, that his mom gave up and brought him back here.

As a consequence, though, he needs to attend this dance class every Mondays and Fridays, which Donghyuck hates so much.

"Uncle keeps telling us to do this split, doesn't he understand that I'm not flex- flex-"

"Flexible, Donghyuck," Yuta says while removing the boy's shoes. He's gotten tired of making Donghyuck put his shoes away himself; the boy doesn't listen to anyone except for himself.

"That! Yes, that's the word. As expected from our oldest!" Donghyuck always teases Yuta about his age, even though he's just a small kid. It's not hard to imagine which kind of teenager Donghyuck would grow into.

"Stop making fun of Yuta, you bad boy!" Renjun appears in front of him while holding out his arms like he's trying to protect Yuta.

"You're so skinny and weak; you can't beat me!"

"Yes, I can! You're the weak one!"

"Am not!"

Yuta puts his hand on his forehead again, here comes another argument. Donghyuck and Renjun always argue, but they never get physical. It's mostly verbal arguments and glaring contests for them.

He goes to the mini table to pour himself some tea to get some caffeine inside his system when Jisung crawls over to him and holds his arms out, wanting to be picked up. The three-year-old is mainly silent, using gestures and movements to signal what he's thinking, and Yuta makes it his personal goal to make him speak more.

He picks up Jisung and carefully sits down to make it easier for him to pour the tea. He catches Jisung eyeing the cup like it's some foreign object and he smiles.

"Would you like to try some, Jisungie?" Which the boy nods enthusiastically and Yuta chuckles to himself, grabbing another clean paper cup to pour a little tea into it.

He blows a bit before warning, "Be careful, okay? You might not like it," he puts the edge of the cup to Jisung's lips, making it easier for him to drink. Some would say he's spoiling the boy rotten, but who can resist him. Yuta spoils all of his boys the same, but Jisung is the youngest, so he babies him a lot, much to the other kids' annoyance.

Jisung scrunches his face in disgust when the strange taste of the tea comes in contact with his tongue, and widens his eyes comically like he just experienced something terrifying. With facial expressions like that, Yuta's pretty much convinced he's going to be a big actor. If Jisung wants to be one, that is. He's the last person to push this cutie to do anything, he can stay a three-year-old forever and Yuta needs to teach him words every day but he's still going to love him. 

"How is it? Do you like it?" Yuta inquiries and Jisung shakes his head frantically.

"It's bitter, isn't it?" He asks again, and the young boy tilts his head in confusion.

"B-I-T-T-E-R, bitter. Come on, repeat after me."

"Bicher."

"Bitter."

"Bicher."

"Bitter."

Jisung ignores him and opts to play with his hair instead.

Well, at least there are improvements. Yuta spends another minute of bliss with his tea and Jisung in his arms, but his happiness is short-lived.

"Yuta! Donghyuck accidentally spills red paint on Renjun's shirt!"

 

 

\---

 

 

After bidding goodbye to Jeno, Yuta massages his shoulders and stretches out his arms. His work is nearly over; he only needs to rearrange the toys before he finally can head back home in peace. Oh, how much he misses making out with his fluffy bed.

Turning his phone on again, he notices there are a few missed calls from Jaehyun, but he doesn't pay much attention to it. He'll call him back later; now he wants to drive home safely without scratching his old yet precious sedan.

He changes the CD inside to his homemade medley of girl groups' songs, something he won't ever do if Doyoung or Ten is in his car. At first, Yuta didn't care about what his friends think about his musical taste, but Doyoung's dolphin screech every time he plays them started to annoy him, so he bought some jazz and classical CDs so that Doyoung can stop whining.

Yuta almost loses his voice from screaming too hard, singing the high notes that a man like him could not possibly reach. His throat feels sore, but he feels on top of the world, still whistling to Boombayah as he turns his keys around.

Taking his shoes off immediately upon entering, he hangs his fluffy cotton jacket on the coat stand. The lights are turned off, and it's still a little past six-thirty, he doubts Taeyong is back. Now he can enjoy himself without someone judging him from behind his back.

Stomach growling, he goes to the kitchen to make some food, also known as boiling water and pouring it over dry noodles in Yuta's limited dictionary. His inner Blink fire is not extinguishing itself anytime soon, so he turns on his Bluetooth speaker and plays Boombayah on full blast.

" _Been a bad girl, I know I am_ ," he sings along while pressing the button to heat the pan, " _and I'm so hot, I need a fan_ ," he imitates Lisa fanning herself, " _I don't want a boy, I need a man_ ," and opens his legs like a professional hooker on a pole.

Jennie's rap part is far too fast and complicated for him to follow, so he mumbles along the line, the enthusiasm and hype not decreasing any second.

He nearly splashes the hot water on himself when he carelessly throws the uncooked noodles inside, getting on with the beat.

Yuta doesn't stop swaying his hips while stirring the noodles until he hears a loud and forceful cough from behind him.

 

 

 

\---

 

 

 

Taeyong feels old. Every time he bends over just a little to tie his shoelaces, he feels his bones cracking, and Sicheng has to help him stand up straight again. It's also winter, and no matter how much effort Taeyong has put to make himself look tough, he can't stand the cold.

Which is why he has already spent two boxes of tissue trying to stop his mucus from coming out. The gooey substance disgusts him a lot, even though it's his _s_ _ecretion_ , and Taeyong has to close his eyes when he blows his nose. He covers the infected tissue paper with another new one so that it doesn't _l_ _eak_ out.

Usually, he goes home after eight, but his snot kept threatening to come out every time he did a body roll, and he didn't want the brats to tease him about it. So he went home earlier, took a shower (he's not going to miss out shower even though he's sick), lit up his aromatherapy candles, turned off all the lights, and snuggled into the warmness of his covers.

He doesn't even get fifteen minutes until there's a terribly irritating loud music playing from the kitchen and he knows Yuta's home. At first, he covers his head with his pillow to block out the sound, but he also forgets that he can't breathe through his nose right now. He nearly stupidly suffocates himself to death.

Upset that he can't get his peaceful sleep, Taeyong opens the door again and takes just a few steps to the kitchen to bust Yuta's annoying speaker to dust.

He raises an eyebrow when he sees Yuta weirdly squatting while rolling his head to the beat. Taeyong looks on with amusement as Yuta sings along with suggestive lyrics shamelessly. He probably doesn't know that Taeyong's home, he turned off all the lights, after all.

Not wanting to be labeled as a creep for watching your roommate dancing to a girl group song seductively, he clears his throat, but it comes out harsher than it should be, thanks for his cold.

Taeyong struggles to keep a straight face as Yuta whips his head around in surprise, ears turning red in embarrassment. His expression resembles a kid that has been caught stealing cookies. Taeyong thinks it's a teeny weeny bit adorable. It's probably just his feeble brain speaking.

"You're a little flexible for someone who's only a cafe owner," he finally makes his presence known, crossing his arms, trying to assert his dominance in this household.

Yuta smiles sheepishly while scratching his head, "I didn't know you were back, Taeyong. I'm sorry if the music's too loud."

"Well, it _so_  loud that I couldn't get the sleep I needed," Taeyong opens the upper drawer to grab his mug to pour himself some water. His throat still feels a little bit scratchy.

"Oh my God, you were sleeping? I'm so sorry; I didn't know," Yuta rushes past him to turn his speaker off. He grabs his phone and turns the ringer back on.

"You can make it up to me, if you want," that's totally his feeble brain speaking. He has the sudden urge to flirt with Yuta, what in the world. Probably his mucus is blocking his brain to mouth connection; he doesn't know.

"Yes, totally! What do you want me to do? Do the dishes? Wipe the tables? Clean up the floor?"

"No. Make me some of that instant noodles."

 

 

 

\---

 

 

  
They end up eating together on the small cushion you usually call a sofa, and Taeyong's knees keep bumping into Yuta's. Un-sick Taeyong would immediately scurry away until his side is pressed against the arm of the couch. But sick Taeyong is honestly too tired to move and the instant noodles Yuta made for him is fantastic. He didn't know someone could have a talent for making instant noodles, that's a first.

Taeyong doesn't realize he's been voicing out his thoughts (like he said, obstruction on the brain to mouth filter) until he hears Yuta snorting with laughter.

"You sound like a kid just now," Yuta imitates his rough voice and Taeyong is about to retaliate when he sneezes. Right into Yuta's face.

Widening his eyes in horror, Taeyong stands up from his seat and speeds away to find the nearest tissue box. He ends up bringing all three of his stock.

"Holy shit, I'm so sorry! That was entirely accidental!" Taeyong says while rubbing Yuta's face with dozens of tissues, apparently intending to wipe off the germs and bacterias he just bestowed upon Yuta.

Yuta taps his arms repeatedly in panic, "C-Can't breathe..."

Taeyong gasps again and frees Yuta face from the white sheets, apologizing profusely again while rubbing his hands together like a child.

Yuta waves his hands, telling him it's okay, but Taeyong is not convinced.

"Honestly, it's cool. You're a human being, who's capable of being sick. It's not like you can hold out a sneeze," Yuta says again, going back to eat his noodles after throwing the tissues away.

Taeyong is about to say something again, but he hears a muffled sound of a very obnoxious ringtone. Yuta jumps in surprise and Taeyong notices that the phone is in his pocket and it's vibrating. It makes Yuta's ass jiggle a bit too-

Stop, feeble brain, stop.

Yuta sighs when he sees the caller ID, and it perks Taeyong's curiosity.

"Sorry, I need to take this. You continue eating, okay?" Flashing him his signature broad smile, Yuta excuses himself to his room, closing the door gently before locking it.

Taeyong wonders who called him because someone would not need that much privacy just for a phone call, right?

 

 

 

\---

 

 

 

"Where have you been? You're neither answering my texts nor my calls!" Yuta hears Jaehyun shout from the other end.

"I'm sorry, okay? It's just, it's been a long day, I wanted to call you back, but I forgot. Calm down, babe," he plays with the hem of his shirt as he lies down on his bed.

"Calm down?! Woah, I can't believe you," Jaehyun inhales, "you're my goddamn boyfriend! Going MIA suddenly is not what we do! Do you know how worried I was?"

"Stop being so dramatic. I'm 25 years old; I can take care of myself. You know I was working. You can't expect me to be in touch; I need to look after the kids," Yuta replies calmly.

"And I've been asking you to quit that damn job. I don't understand why you overwork yourself. It's not like those kids are your own, I don't get why you care so much about them," Jaehyun snips. Yuta sits up against the headboard and folds his arms in annoyance.

"Money doesn't come easy. Oh, but I guess you won't ever get it because you were born with a fucking silver spoon shoved up your ass. Those kids may not be mine, but they're the smartest and most loving people I've ever encountered, and I love them. Oh, but maybe you also don't get it because you're a taker but not a giver, am I right or right?" He can feel Jaehyun's disbelieved stare from the other hand. 

"I'm so tired now, and I'm neither in the mood to argue nor deal with your bullshit. We'll sort it out next time we talk," and Yuta hangs up, no goodbyes, no declarations of love. He turns off his phone again because he knows Jaehyun will be calling him back after his attitude.

He doesn't realize the tears are forming in his eyes until they slip down his cheeks. Jaehyun is not the same person he fell in love with a few years back. He doesn't know his tears come from sadness and disappointment or genuine anger. 

Wiping his tears away with the edge of his sleeves, he unlocks the door and goes go the living room again.

Taeyong is still there, the noodles the same way as he left them.

Looking at Yuta's red and puffy eyes, Taeyong stares at him with a concerned expression, but he doesn't say anything.

Instead, he gives him a small smile.

"Come on; the noodles are getting cold. Let's watch some anime while we're at it."

They cried and bonded over Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso like a bunch of hormonal girls, but Taeyong was way more reserved than he was.

 

 

  
\---

 

 

  
Yuta knows he's bound to meet Jaehyun sooner or later, so he for once acts like an adult and texts him to meet up. He still doesn't answer Jaehyun's call, though, a part of him still upset about what happened yesterday.

The only positive outcome he gets is that Taeyong finally warmed up to him a little, and Yuta's grateful because he can't deal with an angry roommate too.

Jaehyun's sitting in his usual spot when he opens the door to the cafe, his gorgeous model body standing out like a sore toe. He doesn't wear cap today, just his huge-ass sunglasses. His hair is jet-black now.

Yuta knows he purposefully doesn't wear many disguises just to provoke him. He doesn't like it when Jaehyun draws attention to himself when he's around Yuta because that way they might be found out.

Jaehyun stands up when he sees him, but he looks quite unsure on what to do next, so he just stands there awkwardly, waiting for Yuta to come over to him. But his gaze never wavers. The shorter exhales before greeting Ten softly, who's was looking at Jaehyun with curiosity, his face asking for an explanation later.

Luckily there are no customers yet; it's a lazy morning.

"Hey," Yuta greets the younger man with a small smile and a side hug, and Jaehyun kisses his cheek.

They sit down in their respective seats, both expecting the other to talk first. Yuta notices that Jaehyun's not ordering anything today. He's also flexing his fingers, a tell-tale sign that he's either nervous or upset. Or both.

"Sorry for not answering your calls and making you worry," Yuta says, not able to withstand the silence.

He expects the same apology from Jaehyun or a smile at least, but he gets none of that.

Jaehyun just nods his head, suddenly very interested at the dented table in front of him. Yuta seriously is done dealing with his bullshit.

Gulping down the urge to call Jaehyun out for being a colossal prick, Yuta stands up from his seat. "Okay, well. See you later."

"I'm going to Europe next week," he hears Jaehyun mumble, and he turns his head back in surprise.

"Wow, that's great news," he immediately saunters back to give Jaehyun a hug, annoyance forgotten, "I'm so happy for you!"

Jaehyun doesn't reciprocate his touch, just standing there like a statue. Yuta ignores the pang in his heart, brushing it off as Jaehyun being moody as usual.

"Don't forget to bring back home some souvenirs," Yuta says, trying to keep the mood bright and cheery.

Jaehyun doesn't say anything again, and he looks even more upset than before if possible, and Yuta frowns, patience thrown out of the window. "Look, Jaehyun, you're my boyfriend, and I love you, but you're being a massive jerk right now. I don't get what's your problem-"

"Are you cheating on me?"

Those words feel like a slap to Yuta and Jaehyun is still looking at him with a solemn look.

"What the fuck? How did you even come to that conclusion?" He walks right up into Jaehyun's personal space, challenging him. Out of the corner of his eyes, Yuta can see Ten removing his apron and moving closer to them in case something happens. 

"Since you moved into your new apartment, you've been acting weird. You always get fidgety every time I bring up that roommate of yours, do you think I didn't notice?"

Yuta squints his eyes, not believing his ears. "Ha. So if a person gets fidgety, they're cheating? Are you sure I don't have ADHD? Your parents paid to fly your sorry ass off to America, but I guess it's wasted on you, huh? Perhaps the alcohol and money washed out those limited brain cells of yours," he uses his index finger to poke on Jaehyun's chest repeatedly. The taller slaps them away and grabs his wrist in a firm grip, making him wince.

"Don't talk to me like that." There's that seriously dangerous look in Jaehyun's eyes again, but damn him if only that manages to intimidate him.

"I can talk to you however I want!" Yuta screams into Jaehyun's face, "You have no right to tell me what to do, and don't act you own me. I'm my own person!"

"You've always been this way, you know." Jaehyun scoffs, "Do you like it? The attention? Maybe you're only using me as a comfort zone to come back to whenever you fuck around, hm? You did that, why can't you do it again?"

As soon as the words leave Jaehyun's mouth, Yuta clenches his fists together, failing to conceal his emotion.

"Leave. Now."

Jaehyun reaches out to touch him again, but Yuta flinches away. "I said leave!" He shouts. 

"I can't believe he threw that into my face! Him, out of all people!" Yuta groans at Ten after Jaehyun glared in his direction before turning away to cross the street. Yuta secretly hopes that he falls on the ice and injures himself. Some say people get a lot less asshole-ish when they experience a near-death experience. 

"Does Doyoung know that your lover-boy is _t_ _he_  Jung Jaehyun?" Ten puts the 'sorry, we're closed' sign before pulling out a chair and gesturing Yuta to take a seat to calm down a little.

"Yup," Yuta says, elongating the _p_. "And you took it better than him. Turns out Jaehyun was on the cover of the magazine that he subscribes to. I think he's got a manly crush on him. I'm not rubbing your ego in the wrong ways right," Yuta pushes back his bangs, getting annoyed as they keep covering his view. He's going to get a haircut or something.

"Why would I? I'm hotter than him," Ten says seriously like it's the most obvious thing in the world. Yuta can't hold back his laughter this time. Being with his two friends (well technically Doyoung is not here, buy you get what he's trying to say right) really makes him comfortable and secured.

Yuta really appreciates it when Ten doesn't even ask him what really happened between Jaehyun and him in the past, he's not the type to do so. And Yuta is not in the mood to tell the story from A till Z, not after freaking out like that. He wants his cheery and bright world to come back first. 

He can't imagine living in a world without them, it'll probably be boring and meaningless that Yuta will overload himself with his extra sweet chocolate brownie to get diabetes and die with sweetness.

"So, does he fuck you good?"

He takes that back.

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is the longest chapter i've ever written and decided to make it wip anyway cause i don't think i can finish this in three chapters so... sorry :)
> 
> AND this is purely fiction and out of my wicked imagination so no offense >_


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